A Muse Her

Chapter 23

Mateo mindlessly rubbed the back of Maia's neck as she slept against his side while he scrolled through the comments under the pictures Maia posted of them on her Instagram page.

Mateo had a hard time sleeping on the flight. His stomach was in constant turmoil over the fact that he was going home. He knew this day was going to come, but not like this. Not with so much fanfare over his engagement. He'd been keeping up a brave face for Maia, but in truth, he was terrified of being in the limelight again.

Looking down at Maia, a smile tugged at his lips at her sleeping against his side with her laptop open and the cursor blinking beside the last sentence she wrote of what he assumed was the beginning of their story. She might've been nervous when they left, but the moment they boarded his family's private plane and he introduced her to their team of bodyguards, she was almost giddy to start writing about this experience.

At least she was happy and maybe being in the spotlight again wouldn't be so terrifying with her by his side this time.

Mateo closed her laptop and slipped it from her lap. He hooked his arm under her legs and gently picked her up from the couch before carrying her to the small bedroom at the back of the plane. Tucking her under the plush white comforter, he placed a kiss on her forehead and quietly left the room.

"Don't you think you should get some sleep too, Your Highness?"

Mateo shook his head at Willem, the graying brown-haired bodyguard and deputy head of security. "You know I never sleep well on flights. I'll be fine."

"Mm, well I wanted to talk to you about a few things anyway," Willem said as he poured two glasses of bourbon. "Join me for a drink?"

"Sure." Mateo sighed, taking the offered glass before he slid into the seat across from Willem. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Miss Jefferies is taking all of this very well."

Mateo smiled. "She is, but we're not in Oost den Burg yet." He sighed. "I've told her life in the royal family can feel like a cage and I'm worried the demands of this life are going to affect her ability to write. You know how my mother is, she'll want to thrust her into managing charities and hosting fundraisers."

Willem nodded. "The queen has already drafted a hefty schedule of meetings and luncheons for Miss Jefferies to get her acquainted with her role as a future princess."

Mateo grimaced as he took a drink. "I don't want that for her. Maia needs time to adjust and space to write."

"I'm sure that can be sorted out, but you have bigger issues than Miss Jefferies' schedule," Willem said as he slid a folder across the table to him. "Sven Fontein has been meeting with Prince Jorien and Princess Gesina fairly regularly since he arrived a few days ago."

"That doesn't surprise me," Mateo said as he flipped through the pictures of Jorien and Gesina meeting with Sven at a restaurant. "Sven has made it clear that he intends to save Maia from being used by me."

"Yes and Prince Jorien seems to be buying that narrative." Willem smirked. "He's spoken with the king on a few occasions since the announcement of your engagement and after meeting with Mr. Fontein."

Mateo looked up at Willem. "What has he been saying to him?"

"He's under the impression that the only reason you're coming back with a fake fiancée is because you believe the rumors about him sabotaging your right to the crown and now you want revenge."

"Of course he does." Mateo shook his head. "Has my father told him the truth? That the council has reservations about him becoming king?"

"The king hasn't been telling you the truth either," Willem said, dragging a hand over his face. "And I'm sorry I have to be the one to tell you, but after what you've been through, Lars and I felt it was best if one of us told you the truth."